Creating Reconsideration Policies That Matter

by April M. Dawkins, March 2020

It happened. What you have been dreading since library school. Your principal emailed to let you know that a parent had requested a book be removed from the library because it was "inappropriate for any student to read." And you panic. How do you stand up for every student's right to read and keep your job? How do you avoid becoming defensive in the face of someone's questioning your morality and professionalism? There really is only one way to prepare—with policies and procedures that support you in times of crisis, so you don't have to panic.

In the October 2018 issue of School Library Connection, I wrote "Ten Steps to Creating a Selection Policy That Matters." Step Nine was:

Is there information that outlines the policy and procedures for reconsideration of materials? Provide a general overview about removing materials from the collection, including the need for a formal procedure and review process. The reconsideration procedures themselves will need to have special review. They are typically in a separate section at the end of the selection policy itself (Dawkins 2018).

Now, here are ten steps to creating reconsideration policies and procedures that matter. These are the questions you should think about as you and your district either create or revisit your procedures. And, always remember that you should not attempt to revise policies or procedures during a challenge.

Do the reconsideration procedures include guiding principles while undergoing a challenge?

Your policies and procedures should include statements about diversity of content, formats, and ideas, the right to access information, and the freedom to read. Inclusion of the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement of the American Library Association is a great idea. These guiding principles might be included in the selection policy or as part of the reconsideration procedures. For a good outline of what to include, take a look at the Selection & Reconsideration Toolkit for Public, School, and Academic Libraries (http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit).

Do your procedures include information on how to handle an informal/oral complaint versus a formal/written complaint?

A parent, teacher, or administrator may voice a concern about an item in the library collection without wishing to go through the formal process for reconsideration. You should be prepared to discuss informal concerns with parents, patrons, teachers, administrators—well, anyone who might say they are uncomfortable with an item in your collection. The policies and procedures for reconsideration should be shared during this conversation. However, an honest, open, and respectful conversation will often lead to resolution of the complaint without a formal reconsideration process taking place. But, be sure that your policy explicitly states that an item cannot be removed without a formal request for reconsideration being submitted and a complete process being undertaken.

Is there information about the timeline to be followed?

You really don't want things to drag on forever. Therefore, your procedures should include a timeline for response to a complaint, committee proceedings, and final determination. Keep the timeline reasonable and remember that committee members will need to obtain and read the challenged material in its entirety prior to discussion. Your procedures might also include a clause that stipulates challenged materials cannot be challenged again within a certain time frame (maybe five years).

Is there information about who to contact in your school and district, as well as external resources for support?

The procedures should include who within your school and district should receive copies of the request for reconsideration and who is ultimately in charge of the reconsideration process. It's also helpful to keep school district public relations or media contacts in the loop about potential challenges and outcomes from reconsideration proceedings so that they may field any press questions. Information about challenges and reconsidered materials is subject to FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests. Therefore, it's important to determine where information about challenges is housed in your district. Additionally, you will want to know about the resources available to you through your state library, your state school library organization, and ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

Is there information included about who has the standing to challenge content included the library or as part of the curriculum?

Within the policy, you'll want to include who can actually challenge materials that are part of the curriculum or in the library collection. Some of this may be determined by state law. However, when your district can make the determination, you'll want to weigh the costs and benefits of either limiting who has standing to challenge or keeping it pretty open. Some districts allow any citizen to file a request for reconsideration. Other districts limit this by allowing only parents of children within the district to request reconsideration of materials.

Is there a clear, easy-to-complete reconsideration form? Does the reconsideration form include the following information: What is being challenged and why? What is the outcome the complainant wishes from the reconsideration process?

Make sure you have a publicly accessible reconsideration form that can be completed and submitted. The form should include contact information for the complainant, information about the item for which reconsideration is being requested, and why the request is being made. The form should include clear directions about where the form should be submitted and the timeline for an initial response to the request. Be sure to include a question asking what the complainant wants to happen to the material, but I don't suggest including a list of options for this. Leave that up to the committee to decide.

Does the policy explain how challenged materials are to be handled while the challenge is being considered?

The policy should include a statement that challenged materials will remain in use and available until the conclusion of the reconsideration process. Limiting access during the process is an infringement on students' intellectual and academic freedom.

Does the policy explain the composition of the reconsideration committee and procedures the committee should follow at both the school and district level?

The policy should outline basic membership of the reconsideration committee for both the school and district levels. Typically, the committee is comprised of the school librarian, the principal or other administrative representative, teacher representatives, and even student representatives (particularly in upper grades). Additionally, the policy should explain what the committee should do to reconsider the material in question: reading it, discussion, voting, etc.

Does the policy outline the role of the school librarian during the reconsideration committee proceedings; and what is the role of the complainant?

Often, the policy will designate the school librarian as the chair of the school-level reconsideration committee. You'll want to know that ahead of time. As the school librarian, you are often the main spokesperson for intellectual freedom and the students' right to read. This should be the cornerstone of your role in the committee proceedings. Additionally, the procedures should clearly state if this is a public or private committee meeting and if the complainant has the opportunity to either submit a statement, attend the meeting, or participate in the proceedings in any way other than the initial written request for reconsideration.

Do the policy and procedures provide guidelines for notification of the complainant after a decision is made?

It's always good to have a plan about how to notify the person who made the challenge. It's even better to have sample letters ready to go. You won't need to worry about being eloquent if you already have an outline of what to include at the very least. Your procedures should also determine from whom that letter should come. Should it be the chair of the reconsideration committee, which might be you as the librarian, or your principal?

Final things to consider

Policies are only as good as those who follow them. Plan to meet with your school's administration at the start of each school year to review important policies. Each fall, I met with my principal to talk about three things: the place of the library in the overall school budget; copyright and fair use and teacher use of video materials; and a review of the selection policy and reconsideration process.

It's important that you and your administration are on the same page when handling challenges to instructional materials both in the classroom and in the library. Many of the school library discussion forums include stories of principals arbitrarily removing materials from school libraries because of parent complaints. However, this is what gets administrators and school districts into hot water. When officials subvert their own policies and procedures, they open themselves up to litigation. Follow the process, and they are unlikely to face a lawsuit about infringing on students' First Amendment rights to access information.

Additionally, make sure that your school (or school district's) selection and reconsideration policies are publicly available on your school and district websites. The public needs to know how and why you are selecting content and the importance of protecting student access to information. Often just understanding the difference between parents' rights to make decisions about their own child as opposed to inhibiting access for all children is all it will take to prevent a challenge.

For more information, explore these resources about collection development and selection policy writing:

Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, and Academic Libraries from ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit).

Kerby, Mona. An Introduction to Collection Development for School Librarians. 2nd ed. AASL, 2019.

Mardis, Marcia A. The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts and Practices. 6th ed. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited, 2016.

Works Cited

Dawkins, April M. "Ten Steps to Creating a Selection Policy that Matters." School Library Connection October 2018.

Selection & Reconsideration Policy Toolkit for Public, School, and Academic Libraries. American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/tools/challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit.